Jim Burnett visited the College of Design at North Carolina State University today for the College’s 7th Annual Richard C. Bell Lecture. His visit started with a roundtable discussion with teachers and students, followed by a visit to their studio. Jim delivered a lecture titled ‘Transformations’, where he discussed the influences that inspire his design approach as well as the transformation of American cities through the creation of active public spaces. Jim’s lecture also explored how landscape architecture can restore connections between disparate sections of cities, providing open space with a purpose through innovative programming initiatives.

Projects that he examined in detail include: Klyde Warren Park, a freeway deck park that has bridged the gap between key downtown districts, catalyzing economic development and becoming a vibrant and endeared open space in downtown Dallas; Myriad Botanical Gardens, an Oklahoma City downtown park that was transformed from 15 underutilized acres of open space into a hybrid urban park; and Sunnylands Center and Gardens, a nine-acre desert jewel amid Rancho Mirage’s conventional, thirsty sprawl that pioneered a new ecological aesthetic for arid landscapes in the southwest.